How To Get A Diagnosis? Very Frustrated

I have been seeing my pdoc for a year now, and so far I have been told I have depression by him. I got on anxiety meds, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics when I was in the hospital and pdoc didn't change them until about the beginning of this year when he finally said I don't think I am schizophrenic and stopped my anti-psychotics. And then I got tired of my weight, which I had gained over 20 lbs and stopped my anti-depressants and anxiety meds. My doctor was against stopping, but after I stopped I have lost, and am still losing weight (15 lbs now). I was doing fine, no depression or anxiety for three months until recent tragic events occurred. I went to my primary doctor today and she wanted to know why I stopped meds and what my actual diagnoses is. Ive been labeled Bipolar (by hospital stay), BPD (by older therapist), Manic Depressive with schizo tendencies (by hospital stay). But my actual pdoc has never told me what I have. Am I wrong to think he should know by now? Do I actually have nothing wrong with me? I am going back to see my pdoc to ask him about a diagnoses and also starting a new med for anxiety which has increased in the past month. Also primary doctor recommend I see him again. And also my new therapist thinks I might be ADD so going to talk to pdoc about what he thinks.....I want answers! and no one can agree and everything thinks something different and its so frustrating!

Hello GenCat,

Of course we can have several diagnosis going on at the same time. The thing with mental health is that it can change, for example someone can be diagnosed with psychosis, doesn't mean the person will always be so. Good treatment can lead to a lessening of mental health issues so what might start out as 'manic depression' may actually lessen to anxiety and depression. It's one reason I hate labels because some people will hang on to a label and hold their life back because of it.

So the answer is, to drop all previous labels and ask your psychiatrist what your 'current' diagnosis is. Let us know how you get on.

Today went wonderful with my therapist! She mentioned she thinks I have a touch of Aspergers. She also said I was what you'd call an atypical client that's doesn't fit into the molds of most diagnosis. So now it's bipolar, depression, anxiety disorder, schizo, BPD, ADD, and Aspergers. I apparently have a touch of everything!!!

It's very frustrating. Schizophrenia and BP have some symptoms that overlap and other disorders have symptoms that overlap with Schiz, BP. Personality disorders can be mistaken for BP and vice versa. Like 40-60% of BP people have some kind of an anxiety disorder. Schizophrenia is a thought disorder, BP is a mood disorder. Schizoaffective is a combination of the two (but I don't think that diagnosis is used much these days according to my Dr.). PDOCs all have different opinions. Lots of PDOCs just end up treating the symptoms if things are very complicated.